Pro Cyclists Race Lust-Worthy Rides in Tour of California

More than 120 of the world’s best riders, including Americans David Zabriskie, Levi Leipheimer, and defending champion Chris Horner, are currently winding their way toward Los Angeles for the finish of the 2012 Amgen Tour of California, arguably the most prestigious pro race outside of Europe.

Seven of the world’s 10 best teams, including top-ranked Omega Pharma-Quickstep and No. 2 Liquigas-Cannondale, are among the 16 outfits riding the 733.5 miles (.pdf) of this year’s edition.

For the first two stages, we rode shotgun with the Garmin-Barracuda team of David Zabriskie, who seized the overall race lead after winning Stage 5 on Thursday. Zabriskie has worn the yellow jersey in the Tour de France and is a safe bet to make it to the start again this year.

Every rider in the race is on a bike most of us would kill for, so we made our way through the mechanics’ stations looking for tech highlights and hints about what the pros will be riding at the Tour de France, which starts June 30.

Above: The Pinarello Dogma 2 is one of the most coveted bikes in the world. Try as we might we couldn't get this guy from Bissell Pro Cycling to give us one. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Zabriskie (18), the current U.S. time trial champ, hopes a strong finish in the tour will bode well for his dream of representing the United States in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games. "David Zabriskie is going to fight until he's lying on the ground almost dying," he said, speaking in the third person, after Thursday's stage. "To win would be the biggest win in my life, my career. It would be amazing; definitely not an easy thing to come by. It would be a beautiful thing."

Above: Team Garmin-Barracuda riders get ready to roll inside the team bus before the first stage of the tour, which started May 13. Photo: Stephen Lam/Wired.

Garmin-Barracuda riders can choose between Cervélo’s lightweight R5 or the radically aero S5. They also have the option of going with sponsor Rotor’s traditional round chain rings or the company’s elliptical ones, as seen on this R5. One cool technology note: The team uses Magura hydraulic rim brakes on its time-trial bikes, and team director Jonathan Vaughters confirmed that the riders will start using them on their road bikes later this season. That’s something we expect to see a lot more of in the near future.Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Corporate siblings FSA and Vision are pushing further into the component territory of Shimano, SRAM and Campagnolo, which dominate the market. Here they hang on a Felt bike of Team Exergy Photo: Stephen Lam/Wired

The BMC Racing Team is tackling the Tour aboard the BMC SLR01, the same bike Cadel Evans rode to victory in last year’s Tour de France. Top-shelf components include Shimano’s electronic Dura-Ace Di2 drivetrain and Easton wheels that cost more than our first car. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Weight freaks, take note: Cannondale claims the SuperSix EVO frame weighs a mere 695 grams. That's 1.5 pounds for the metrically challenged. It’s so light the team mechanics have to use specially made components that add enough weight to hit the minimum race-legal weight of 6.8 kg (14.99 pounds). If you think a frame that weighs less than a six-pack of beer would result in a flimsy bike, think again. Star sprinter Peter Sagan won the first four stages of this year’s Tour of California on a SuperSix Evo. If it can handle his power, it can handle yours.
Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

The mark of a skilled mechanic isn’t always in the straightforward maintenance like tuning derailleurs and adjusting brakes. That stuff is obvious. It’s the little details that show the love. Here a mechanic for Team Garmin-Barracuda has wrapped a valve stem with tape to prevent it from rattling inside the carbon walls of this Mavic wheel. Photo: Stephen Lam/Wired

Australia's GreenEDGE Cycling Team rolls on the aerodynamic and insanely stiff (read: efficient) Scott Foil. The bikes are built up with Shimano components, including carbon Dura-Ace wheels and the precise shifting of electronic Dura-Ace Di2. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Local hero and three-time Tour of California-winner Levi Leipheimer is always a crowd favorite. Despite suffering a broken leg after being hit by a car while training in Italy last month, Leipheimer made the start in his adopted hometown of Santa Rosa, California.

Garmin-Barracuda Director Jonathan Vaughters, a former pro himself, takes a water bottle from mechanic Alex Banyay for a handoff to a rider. Beyond handing out water bottles and shouting team tactics to riders — while driving mere inches from the peloton — team directors juggle cell phones, radios and walkie talkies to stay in touch with team staff and race officials.

Photos: Stephen Lam/Wired

Above: More often than they’d like, team directors must pull over so a mechanic can execute a lightning-fast wheel swap for a rider with a flat. Here, Garmin-Barracuda mechanic Alex Banyay gives Andrew Talansky a push after a wheel swap during stage 1. Talansky finished 25th in the stage. Photo: Stephen Lam/Wired

Below: Although the sport isn't nearly as popular in the States as it is in Europe, cycling draws dedicated fans eager to catch a glimpse of their favorite riders. The Tour draws healthy crowds, especially when passing through a city like San Francisco, as it did during Stage 2 on May 14. Peter Sagan of Liquigas-Cannondale won that day, despite crashing and puncturing his tire during a wicked descent. It continued a run of mishaps for the Slovakian star, who won the first stage after getting a flat three miles from the finish. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Specialized’s director of design, Robert Egger, gets a custom paint job for his personal bike, which was on display before stage 1. The radical-looking Shiv triathlon frame is fitted with traditional road bars and a special stem with an integrated computer mount. Want. Oh how we want.

Photos: Stephen Lam/Wired

Team Garmin-Barracuda mechanic Juan Lujan cleans a bike after the first stage of the Tour. Every rider's rig is thoroughly cleaned and tuned after each stage, keeping guys like Lujan busy into the evening. Photo: Stephen Lam/Wired

With cycling season in full swing and the Tour de France approaching, Wired is hitting the roads of Northern California for a comprehensive look at the bikes, gear and apparel the pros use. In the lead up to the Tour start on June 30, we’ll bring you ride reports, gear reviews and other insights from the world of cycling. Follow us on Twitter @WiredBike #wiredbiketest.